ESSIE SPEAKS OF TV SERIES

So, how is everyone? Christmas cheer slowly filling your homes and hearts? What about that nagging feeling that you still have no idea what to get people for Christmas? Oh believe me I know that feeling... And although buying people films is generally a tricky business, I reckon these box sets would make a fun present for anyone who likes to chill out infront of the tv. You know, take your brain out and have a bit of excitment too.

I hope you enjoy! And in case you're worried, neither Christmas nor New Year will stop me posting, I do NOT take time off, our "broadcasts" will continue as per usual :)

happy viewing!
Essie

A BIT OF ACTION "CRIMINAL MINDS"

I remember, once upon a time, having a profiler in the storyline of a cop-flic was an original idea… That must date back to the days when profilers were a new concept in the world of law-enforcement. It’s funny how something with so much potential became such a cliché so quickly… I personally find human psychology quite fascinating, especially the things that make it act in ways that are out of the ordinary (I’m not saying that as a handy handle into the series by the way, there genuinely was a time when I dreamt of training as a psychiatrist). I guess this is one of the reasons I like the series Criminal Minds so much. It’s definitely what puts it that little bit ahead in my eyes. But at the same time, Criminal Minds is a down to earth series with plot-twists to blow the mind of the most experienced… I don’t know what exactly you’re expecting, but you will get an adrenalin rush…
In a nut-shell, we follow the lives of the FBI’s profiling unit. They work the serious cases all around the country, serial killers, mass murderers, from Alaska to Arkansas, they deal with it, aiding the local authorities with the psychological profile of killers that may actually outsmart the law otherwise… Their job means that at any time they might need to hop on a plane and stay at the other end of the States for an indeterminate amount of time and that alone makes a private life impossible… However these men and women have no one but each other as they also struggle to maintain their sanity after having penetrated some of the most bizarre and horrifying minds in the world…
I know, the “talented but flawed police detective” is getting rather “old”. So much so that these kinds of gritty, more real characters are now a must of every police drama. But what I like about these guys is that they are not just “slightly” flawed to pay lip service to the phenomenon, they are actually seriously damaged goods. Dr. Reid, the youngest member of the team, a genius with an eidetic memory shows signs of mild autism. Aaron Hotchner, the leader of the team is a workaholic in the actual medical sense of the term and ends up driving his wife and baby son away irretrievably. All the characters have trouble holding on to their sanity, in much the same way we would in that situation… The second thing I like the most about this film is the plotlines. Now, I have watched A LOT of police dramas in my time. I have reached a point where I can pretty much guess where a plot is headed from the start. With Criminal Minds however, I am completely and utterly in the dark. Admittedly they are not for the faint of heart; at the time this article is being written I am a 28 year-old who is perfectly sound of mind and it has given ME nightmares… But if it’s the surprise factor you are after, if you want adrenaline and a REAL bona fide adventure, you came to the right place. I’m not just saying it because it’s my personal favorite, but you really need to see this one =)

SOME CONTINENTAL CHARM WITH "ZEN"

Now don’t let the name fool you, our next stop is NOT the mythical orient but Europe. I think it is safe to say, that if you are looking for class, going for a BBC production is a no-brainer. But with Zen, actually an adaptation from a best-selling series of novels it appears, they take one step further and place the drama in Italy, Rome, and all the elegance that comes with it. Add to all that the presence of a veteran actor like Rufus Sewell and the stage is pretty much set for something seriously good quality… As you can imagine, the BBC, Rufus Sewell and Rome do not disappoint…
Aurelio Zen (Rufus Sewell) is a police detective working in Rome. His reputation is that of inscrutable honesty which may seem like an asset in his line of work but is actually not such a good thing if you want to make a career for yourself. A high-profile case that lands in Zen’s lap, providing him with direct connections to some of the most important men in Italy may change all that. Zen wouldn’t really mind a career. However he would rather like the right men put in prison for crimes they have committed as well; the problem is that this doesn’t always suit his new patrons. If Zen can strike a balance and tidy things up in a way that will suit everyone (including his conscience) he could be a very important and wealthy man… If he can’t however… Who knows where he will end up…
Of course this is a police drama and there is a murder – or some such – to be solved. And I must say, credit to the author, because the plots on these babies (the version I watched by the way, was a mini-series composed of the adaptation of three separate novels, I am not sure whether there are more than three novels around or not) are quite something. They are delicate and hard-hitting at the same time, a very tough balance to strike, and yet a delight to watch when it is successfully managed. Part of the “delicacy” of the plots comes from the fact that alongside the common or garden police drama there is also the machinations of politics and high government and in the midst of it all Zen, a good and intelligent police officer – with a slight but endearing attitude problem – who really has no experience of managing such things as government ministers who “want this affair cleaned up as soon as possible”. The confusion that sometimes ensues, though never incomprehensible, is quite fitting of the Borgias back in the day…
What can I say… Rufus Sewell is as striking as ever, the plot is exciting AND demands use of your brain, what more can one want? A good one for a Friday night at home with a box of chocolates and some wine this one… Just a suggestion… =)

GOOD OLD FASHIONED COPS AND ROBBERS : "FOYLE’S WAR"

Oh I know what your problem is… You want a nice, old-fashioned police drama. All the Hollywood adrenaline and the European intrigue are well and good but let’s go back to basics eh? I’m talking about cops and robbers, you know, policeman catching criminals, have we got none of those worth mentioning this week? Well of course we do. The thing is of course, this is me we’re talking about so I’m going to throw in a period drama. This one is a particular favorite of my 88 year-old grandmother (Mom if you’re reading this do tell her she got a mention!) and so I can safely guarantee that it will completely suit the tastes of those who are fond of the classics and nothing but… And OK, between you and me, I have to admit I rather like it too…
Now to the reason my grandmother likes this one so much. It is set entirely during the Second World War, in the U.K. Inspector Foyle (brought to life by Michael Kitchen) would very much like to go to the front, in fact he has volunteered to do so several times, but his age, his job and the fact that he is so good at has kept him in his small town in the English countryside. Every little bit counts and every one must do his bit as Foyle combats crime with the added burden of the necessities of war and the worry brought on him by the fact that his son is a fighter pilot in the R.A.F.
This series is actually an understated, good quality period drama with undertones of a crime drama, and when you think about it this is no mean feat. Although they are pretty much ten a penny these days, period dramas are rather difficult to get right. Especially if the period in question is WW2, as so many films have been made and books have been written about it that it is being regarded – among the audience anyway – as “that hoary old chestnut”. Foyle is unpretentious. The acting, by leading actor ?? is excellent. The mise en scene coupled with delicate and more importantly un - dramatic references to the war does take the “chestnut” flavor away; since it is so well done, as we watch we get the impression that we are watching something actual and real, it is not as contrived as some WW2 films around. When you combine that with good and exciting plotlines what more do you need really? If ever you doubted that quality and crime drama didn’t really go together, this is the fella to change your way of thinking…

ESSIE SPEAKS OF "SURREAL MOVIES"

Ok, I'm pretty sure you're all convinced I'm falling to pieces. First shorter updates, now erratic posting, what's the deal? The deal, my best beloved, is deadlines, essays and the like. And when you couple it with family business taking me out of town for most of tomorrow, well... I'd rather post early than late - at least the updates will be here waiting for you when you check in on Thursday (you will - right?). We will go back up to three films and back to our regular broadcast times, this I promise. As of next week in fact. Well, sort of.

Besides, we have some pretty heavy going stuff here, I mean don't "diss" it. Arizona Dream is one of those beautiful films that prevents me from watching literally anything else after it for three or four days - that should buy me some time. And assuming my second offering - another classic, scroll down to find out what!- has the same effect on you (and it well might for completely different reasons!) I think that tides us safely over to next week. Phew ;)

happy viewing!
Essie

LIFE IS JUST AN "ARIZONA DREAM"

There is an inherent problem to writing reviews on such well-known films. I always somehow assume that everyone already knows they’re brilliant. I mean, granted, I personally think Emir Kusturica’s work has grown slightly “tired” with time, but this is some of his earlier and original stuff… And with Johnny Depp as the leading actor with all that charisma and talent, let’s face it how could it fail? This is a surreal, weird and wonderful film about life, growing up, and some of our greatest dilemmas…
Axel Blackwater (Johnny Depp) comes from an Arizona family of good means. The family made their money in Cadillac sales, but Axel didn’t want any of that. The Cadillacs or the money that is… He works with the Water Board in New York, and his job is keeping tabs on the fish in the area. Axel likes fish; he thinks there is great wisdom in fish. But he will be forced out of his familiar, if slightly quirky world with a summons from his Uncle Leo back home. Uncle Leo is getting married and he wants Axel to be the best man. Axel wants none of that either but after basically being kidnapped to Arizona he reckons he might as well go through with the matter. His intention is to hop onto the first available train back ASAP but his stay will be extended. Not only one but two original women enter his life. Love enters his life, big time too. Arizona holds more surprises for Axel than he could possibly have imagined… All he can do about it is kick back and let things take their course…
Arizona Dream is basically about growing up. Not the physical growing up, the mental growing up; and those of us who have been through it know the difference all too clearly, am I right? It’s about facing what is possible and what is not, it’s about choosing real life and stepping forward to accomplish your responsibilities or actively deciding not to grow up and going after your dreams… It’s all about growing up, seeing what life really is like, understanding what’s possible and what’s not and slowly, painfully “growing up”. This is the true meaning of “growing pains”… This sounds like a rather pretentious message to be putting across but Kusturica does it with beauty and class and succeeds completely in giving the sense of loss and sadness that this realization of what life “is” brings…
On a personal note though, I do not and cannot believe that everyone should “grow up” and be logical (for lack of a better word). I am at the moment at a time in my life where, after opening my eyes and seeing what “makes sense”, I decided that didn’t suit me and took a massive leap into the unknown. It seems to be working out so far… But then again, there are always a few exceptions that prove the rule…

SURREAL TV : "NATURAL BORN KILLERS"

Having sampled some of life’s bitter truths with Kusturica, let us now turn to some light entertainment. As I was preparing for the review on this one I realized something… This film can be likened to a family fight. In it, under the direction of Oliver Stone, the cinema takes a massive bite out of its younger cousin, the television. And put like that I know it sounds a touch unfair, but really it isn’t anything the TV culture doesn’t deserve… I honestly feel sometimes that the “media” has gone completely barmy and could have disastrous results… And I liked this film because it is precisely this hypothesis that Stone explores. If the film is completely surreal, it is more to set us in the type of universe where everything is possible and where the more outrageous possibilities can be explored; this is akin to the sense of liberty the medium of animation affords… It also has the added benefit of rendering the film watchable; even though the amount of bodies that pile up all over the screen can only be described as carnage, the whole thing is so unbelievable it just doesn’t sort of you know… Hit you… (Excuse the bad pun)
Mickey (Woody Harrelsson) and Mallory Knox (Juliette Lewis) are “Natural Born Killers”. They love each other and they love life, and for them, “life” means rolling round the countryside, getting drunk, getting high and killing pretty much whoever they want whenever they want. The manhunt that begins is massive, as is the media frenzy. And of course the whole thing does nothing but get worse when, in a hail of bullets, the couple actually get caught. Now they are safely behind bars, it’s the press that wants its pound of flesh. In depth reports, close ups… The natural born killers love the attention, the problem is, they are NOT as dumb as some people seem to make them out to be… And the fact that they love the attention doesn’t mean that they don’t know how to use it to their advantage…
Oliver Stone’s attack on “TV Culture” is two-pronged. First of all there is the very obvious interaction of Mickey and Mallory with the media who takes the form of Wayne Gale (Robert Downey Jr.), the uber-cheesy reality-show host who thinks of nothing but his own face on TV and his ratings. And then, just in case you missed that one, there is the media in general’s “feeding frenzy” – Mickey and Mallory become super-stars overnight, their faces are all over the front pages of newspapers, morbid fascination pervades and as the audience we receive a little poke ourselves… Come on, admit it, you DO read all those gory stories in the newspaper… But there are also a few more slightly less-obvious attacks going on. First of all, as I already mentioned, the whole film is very OTT. So much so that the overly cliché characters in it just pass one by. But in fact these men, Wayne Gale, the police officers, everybody is the epitome of B-movie characters. So intelligently enough, the film criticizes what television has become by becoming rather disturbing itself. Here, the credit that is due must be given to the actors, especially Tom Sizemore as detective Jack Scagnetti and Tommy Lee Jones as the prison warden, one of the most laughable yet psychopathic characters I have ever seen on screen… Then of course, there’s Mickey and Mallory. In actual fact, what they are doing is no more than simply copying what a lot of us see in bad action movies all around the world late at night (I assume some things don’t change no matter where you go). Even though their love for eachother is genuine – as far as we can tell – the things they use to show that love (apart from the murders of course) are again all the old clichés we’ve all seen a thousand times before. They are not educated, they are not cultured, this is the only means they know of self-expression…
Oh yes, the movie may seem all innocence and light, however, Oliver Stone actually has a lot of scathing things to say about where media and modern culture are today… Just don’t get mesmerized by the fast- moving script, open your eyes and ears, and listen.